Method for depositing a ruthenium-containing film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition process

ABSTRACT

A method for depositing a ruthenium-containing film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition process is disclosed. The method may include: contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a metalorganic precursor, the metalorganic precursor comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of platinum, aluminum, titanium, bismuth, zinc, and combination thereof. The method may also include; contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising ruthenium tetroxide, wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises at least one of a ruthenium-platinum alloy, or a ternary ruthenium oxide. Device structures including a ruthenium-containing film deposited by the methods of the disclosure are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage entry of International Patent Application No. PCT/IB2018/000192, filed Feb. 14, 2018 entitled “A METHOD FOR DEPOSITING A RUTHENIUM-CONTAINING FILM ON A SUBSTRATE BY A CYCLICAL DEPOSITION PROCESS,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to methods for depositing a ruthenium-containing film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition process and particularly methods for depositing a ruthenium-containing film employing a metalorganic precursor and ruthenium tetroxide.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Semiconductor device fabrication processes in advanced technology nodes generally require state of the art deposition methods for forming metal-containing film, such as, for example, a ruthenium-containing film.

A common requisite for the deposition of a metal-containing film is that the deposition process is extremely conformal. For example, conformal deposition is often required in order to uniformly deposit a metal-containing film over three-dimensional structures including high aspect ratio features. Another common requirement for the deposition of metal-containing films is that the deposition process is capable of depositing ultra-thin films which are continuous over a large substrate area. In the particular case wherein the metal-containing film is electrically conductive, the deposition process may need to be optimized to produce low resistance conductive films.

Cyclical deposition processes, such as, for example, atomic layer deposition (ALD) and cyclical chemical vapor deposition (CCVD), sequential introduce one or more precursors (reactants) into a reaction chamber wherein the precursors react on the surface of the substrate one at a time in a sequential, self-limiting, manner. Cyclical deposition processes have been demonstrated which produce metal-containing films with excellent conformality with atomic level thickness control.

Cyclical deposition methods may be utilized for the deposition of metal alloys. For example, metal alloys may be deposited by an atomic layer deposition process utilizing a first precursor including a first metal and a second precursor including a second metal. Accordingly, methods for depositing metal alloys and semiconductor device structures including one or more metal alloys are desirable.

In addition to metals alloys, cyclical deposition methods may be utilized for the deposition of metal oxides. For example, a metal oxide may be deposited by atomic layer deposition utilizing a first precursor including a metal and second precursor including an oxygen component. Ternary metal oxides may be of particular value for next-generation devices. However, common deposition process for forming ternary metal oxides may require three separate precursors, such as, for example, a first metal precursor, a second metal precursor and a precursor containing an oxygen component. Accordingly, improved methods for the deposition metal oxides, and particularly ternary metal oxides, are desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are described in further detail in the detailed description of example embodiments of the disclosure below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In some embodiments, methods for depositing a ruthenium-containing film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition process are provided. The method may comprise: contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a metalorganic precursor, the metalorganic precursor comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, aluminum, titanium, bismuth, zinc, and combination thereof; and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising ruthenium tetroxide; wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises at least one of a ruthenium-platinum alloy, a ruthenium-palladium alloy, or a ternary ruthenium oxide.

For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described herein above. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught or suggested herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular embodiment(s) disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming what are regarded as embodiments of the invention, the advantages of embodiments of the disclosure may be more readily ascertained from the description of certain examples of the embodiments of the disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a process flow of an exemplary cyclical deposition method according to the embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional schematic diagram of a semiconductor device structure including a ruthenium-containing film deposited according to the embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a reaction system configured to perform the methods of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it will be understood by those in the art that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described below.

The illustrations presented herein are not meant to be actual views of any particular material, structure, or device, but are merely idealized representations that are used to describe embodiments of the disclosure.

As used herein, the term “cyclic deposition” may refer to the sequential introduction of precursors (reactants) into a reaction chamber to deposit a film over a substrate and includes deposition techniques such as atomic layer deposition and cyclical chemical vapor deposition.

As used herein, the term “cyclical chemical vapor deposition” may refer to any process wherein a substrate is sequentially exposed to two or more volatile precursors, which react and/or decompose on a substrate to produce a desired deposition.

As used herein, the term “substrate” may refer to any underlying material or materials that may be used, or upon which, a device, a circuit or a film may be formed. A substrate may comprise, but is not limited to, wafers, glasses, polymers, plastics, solid substances, fibers and powders.

As used herein, the term “atomic layer deposition” (ALD) may refer to a vapor deposition process in which deposition cycles, preferably a plurality of consecutive deposition cycles, are conducted in a process chamber. Typically, during each cycle the precursor is chemisorbed to a deposition surface (e.g., a substrate surface or a previously deposited underlying surface such as material from a previous ALD cycle), forming a monolayer or sub-monolayer that does not readily react with additional precursor (i.e., a self-limiting reaction). Thereafter, if necessary, a reactant (e.g., another precursor or reaction gas) may subsequently be introduced into the process chamber for use in converting the chemisorbed precursor to the desired material on the deposition surface. Typically, this reactant is capable of further reaction with the precursor. Further, purging steps may also be utilized during each cycle to remove excess precursor from the process chamber and/or remove excess reactant and/or reaction byproducts from the process chamber after conversion of the chemisorbed precursor. Further, the term “atomic layer deposition,” as used herein, is also meant to include processes designated by related terms such as, “chemical vapor atomic layer deposition”, “atomic layer epitaxy” (ALE), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), gas source MBE, or organometallic MBE, and chemical beam epitaxy when performed with alternating pulses of precursor composition(s), reactive gas, and purge (e.g., inert carrier) gas.

As used herein, the term “film” and “thin film” may refer to any continuous or non-continuous structures and material deposited by the methods disclosed herein. For example, “film” and “thin film” could include 2D materials, nanorods, nanotubes, or nanoparticles or even partial or full molecular layers or partial or full atomic layers or clusters of atoms and/or molecules. “Film” and “thin film” may comprise material or a layer with pinholes, but still be at least partially continuous.

As used herein, the term “metalorganic” or “organometallic” are used interchangeably and may refer to organic compounds containing a metal species. Organometallic compounds may be considered to be subclass of metalorganic compounds having direct metal-carbon bonds.

A number of example materials are given throughout the embodiments of the current disclosure, it should be noted that the chemical formulas given for each of the example materials should not be construed as limiting and that the non-limiting example materials given should not be limited by a given example stoichiometry

The present disclosure includes methods that may be utilized to deposit ruthenium-containing films and in particular deposition methods utilized for depositing a ruthenium-platinum alloy, a ruthenium-palladium alloy, or a ternary ruthenium oxide films.

Ruthenium (Ru) is a potential high-work function electrode material for DRAM capacitors and MOSFETs. In addition, ruthenium may have useful applications as fuel cell electrodes, catalysts, and as seed layers for the electrodeposition of copper (Cu) on barrier layers for integrated circuit interconnects. However, ruthenium precursors are prohibitively expensive making the deposition of elemental ruthenium not cost effective. The methods of the disclosure therefore comprise methods for depositing ruthenium-platinum alloys which may tailor the composition of the ruthenium-platinum alloy based on the desired device application, thereby utilizing less ruthenium precursor whilst depositing a ruthenium-platinum alloy with adapted properties.

In addition to ruthenium-platinum metal alloys, the embodiments of the disclosure may also provide methods for depositing ternary ruthenium oxides. As non-limiting example embodiments, the methods of the disclosure may be utilized for the deposition of Ruthenium Titanium Oxides (Ru_(x)Ti_(y)O_(z)) and Bismuth Ruthenium Oxides (Bi_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)) which may have fuel cell applications.

Therefore, the embodiments of the disclosure may comprise methods for depositing a ruthenium-containing film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition process. The method may comprise: contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a metalorganic precursor; and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising ruthenium tetroxide.

A non-limiting example embodiment of a cyclical deposition process may include atomic layer deposition (ALD), wherein ALD is based on typically self-limiting reactions, whereby sequential and alternating pulses of reactants are used to deposit about one atomic (or molecular) monolayer of material per deposition cycle. The deposition conditions and precursors are typically selected to provide self-saturating reactions, such that an adsorbed layer of one reactant leaves a surface termination that is non-reactive with the gas phase reactants of the same reactant. The substrate is subsequently contacted with a different reactant that reacts with the previous termination to enable continued deposition. Thus, each cycle of alternated pulses typically leaves no more than about one monolayer of the desired material. However, as mentioned above, the skilled artisan will recognize that in one or more ALD cycles more than one monolayer of material may be deposited, for example if some gas phase reactions occur despite the alternating nature of the process.

In an ALD-type process for depositing a ruthenium-containing film, one deposition cycle may comprise exposing the substrate to a first reactant, removing any unreacted first reactant and reaction byproducts from the reaction space and exposing the substrate to a second reactant, followed by a second removal step. The first reactant may comprise a metalorganic precursor (“the metalorganic precursor”) and the second reactant may comprise ruthenium tetroxide (“the ruthenium precursor”).

Precursors may be separated by inert gases, such as argon (Ar) or nitrogen (N₂), to prevent gas-phase reactions between reactants and enable self-saturating surface reactions. In some embodiments, however, the substrate may be moved to separately contact a first vapor phase reactant and a second vapor phase reactant. Because the reactions self-saturate, strict temperature control of the substrates and precise dosage control of the precursors is not usually required. However, the substrate temperature is preferably such that an incident gas species does not condense into monolayers nor decompose on the surface.

Surplus chemicals and reaction byproducts, if any, are removed from the substrate surface, such as by purging the reaction space or by moving the substrate, before the substrate is contacted with the next reactive chemical. Undesired gaseous molecules can be effectively expelled from a reaction space with the help of an inert purging gas. A vacuum pump may be used to assist in the purging.

Reactors capable of being used to deposit ruthenium-containing films can be used for the deposition. Such reactors include ALD reactors, as well as CVD reactors equipped with appropriate equipment and means for providing the precursors. According to some embodiments, a showerhead reactor may be used. According to some embodiments, cross-flow, batch, minibatch, or spatial ALD reactors may be used.

Examples of suitable reactors that may be used include commercially available single substrate (or single wafer) deposition equipment such as Pulsar® reactors (such as the Pulsar® 2000 and the Pulsar® 3000 and Pulsar® XP ALD), and EmerALD® XP and the EmerALD® reactors, available from ASM America, Inc. of Phoenix, Ariz. and ASM Europe B.V., Almere, Netherlands. Other commercially available reactors include those from ASM Japan K.K (Tokyo, Japan) under the tradename Eagle® XP and XP8. In some embodiments, the reactor is a spatial ALD reactor, in which the substrates moves or rotates during processing.

In some embodiments of the disclosure a batch reactor may be used. Suitable batch reactors include, but are not limited to, Advance® 400 Series reactors commercially available from and ASM Europe B.V (Almere, Netherlands) under the trade names A400 and A412 PLUS. In some embodiments, a vertical batch reactor is utilized in which the boat rotates during processing, such as the A412. Thus, in some embodiments the wafers rotate during processing. In other embodiments, the batch reactor comprises a minibatch reactor configured to accommodate 10 or fewer wafers, 8 or fewer wafers, 6 or fewer wafers, 4 or fewer wafers, or 2 or fewer wafers. In some embodiments in which a batch reactor is used, wafer-to-wafer non-uniformity is less than 3% (1sigma), less than 2%, less than 1% or even less than 0.5%.

The deposition processes described herein can optionally be carried out in a reactor or reaction space connected to a cluster tool. In a cluster tool, because each reaction space is dedicated to one type of process, the temperature of the reaction space in each module can be kept constant, which improves the throughput compared to a reactor in which the substrate is heated up to the process temperature before each run. Additionally, in a cluster tool it is possible to reduce the time to pump the reaction space to the desired process pressure levels between substrates. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the deposition process may be performed in a cluster tool comprising multiple reaction chambers, wherein each individual reaction chamber may be utilized to expose the substrate to an individual precursor gas and the substrate may be transferred between different reaction chambers for exposure to multiple precursors gases, the transfer of the substrate being performed under a controlled ambient to prevent oxidation/contamination of the substrate. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the deposition process may be performed in a cluster tool comprising multiple reaction chambers, wherein each individual reaction chamber may be configured to heat the substrate to a different deposition temperature.

A stand-alone reactor can be equipped with a load-lock. In that case, it is not necessary to cool down the reaction space between each run. In some embodiments a deposition process for depositing a metal containing film may comprise a plurality of deposition cycles, for example ALD cycles or cyclical CVD cycles.

In some embodiments the cyclical deposition processes are used to form ruthenium-containing films on a substrate and the cyclical deposition process may be an ALD type process. In some embodiments the cyclical deposition may be a hybrid ALD/CVD or cyclical CVD process. For example, in some embodiments the growth rate of the ALD process may be low compared with a CVD process. One approach to increase the growth rate may be that of operating at a higher substrate temperature than that typically employed in an ALD process, resulting in a chemical vapor deposition process, but still taking advantage of the sequential introduction of precursors, such a process may be referred to as cyclical CVD.

According to some embodiments of the disclosure, ALD processes may be used to form a ruthenium-containing film on a substrate, such as an integrated circuit workpiece. In some embodiments of the disclosure each ALD cycle comprises two distinct deposition steps or phases. In a first phase of the deposition cycle (“the metal phase”), the substrate surface on which deposition is desired is contacted with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a metal precursor which chemisorbs onto the substrate surface, forming no more than about one monolayer of reactant species on the surface of the substrate. In a second phase of the deposition (“the ruthenium phase”), the substrate surface on which deposition is desired is contacted with a second vapor phase reactant comprising ruthenium tetroxide, wherein the ruthenium tetroxide may react to form a ruthenium-platinum alloy, a ruthenium-palladium alloy, or a ternary ruthenium oxide.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the first vapor phase reactant may comprise a metal containing precursor, also referred to here as the “metal compound”. In some embodiments, the first vapor phase reactant may comprise a metalorganic precursor, the metalorganic precursor comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, aluminum, titanium, bismuth, zinc, and combination thereof. In some embodiments, the metalorganic precursor may be free of, or substantially free of, metals from Group 2 of the periodic table, i.e., the alkaline earth metals. In some embodiments, the metalorganic precursor may be free of, or substantially free of, metals selected from the group consisting of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), and barium (Ba).

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the first vapor phase reactant may comprise a metal containing precursor, also referred to here as the “metal compound”. In some embodiments, the metal containing precursor may comprise a metal having an oxidation state of 0, +I, +II, +III, +IV, +V, or +VI. In some embodiments, the oxidation state of the metal in the metal containing precursor may be +II, or +III. In some embodiments, the oxidation state of the metal in the metal containing precursor may not equal 0.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the metalorganic precursor may comprise, a metalorganic platinum precursor, i.e., a metalorganic precursor comprising a platinum element. In some embodiments, the metalorganic platinum precursor may be selected from the group consisting of cyclopentadienyl compounds of platinum, such as (trimethyl)methylcyclopentadienyl platinum or (trimethyl)cyclopentadienyl (C5H5)Pt(CH3)3, platinum betadiketonate compounds such as Pt(acetylacetonate)2 or other platinum compounds such as Pt(PF3)4, Pt(CO)2C12, cis-[Pt(CH3)2((CH3)NC)2], and platinum hexafluoroacetylacetonate.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the metalorganic precursor may comprise a metalorganic aluminum precursor, i.e., a metalorganic precursor comprising an aluminum element. In some embodiments, the metalorganic aluminum precursor may comprise at least one of trimethylaluminum (TMA), trimethylaluminum (TEA), dimethylaluminum chloride (AlMe₂Cl), dimethylaluminum isopropoxide (AlMe₂OPr), or aluminum ethoxide (AlOEt)₃.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the metalorganic precursor may comprise a metalorganic zinc precursor, i.e., a metalorganic precursor comprising a zinc element. In some embodiments, the metalorganic zinc precursor may comprise at least one of dimethylzinc (ZnMe₂), diethylzinc (ZnEt₂), methylzinc isopropoxide (ZnMe(OPr)), or zinc acetate (Zn(CH₃CO₂)₂).

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the metalorganic precursor may comprise a metalorganic palladium precursor, i.e., a metalorganic precursor comprising a palladium element. In some embodiments, the metalorganic palladium precursor may comprise at least one of Pd(thd)₂, or Pd(Hfac)₂.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the metalorganic precursor may comprise a metalorganic titanium precursor, i.e., a metalorganic precursor comprising a titanium element. In some embodiments, the metalorganic titanium precursor may comprise at least one of tetrakisdimethylamino titanium (TDMAT), tetrakisdiethylamino titanium (TDEAT), pentamethylcyclopentadienyltrimethoxy titanium (CpMe₅Ti(OMe)₃), titanium methoxide (Ti(OMe)₄), titanium ethoxide (Ti(OEt)₄), titanium isopropoxide (Ti(OPr)₄), or titanium butoxide (Ti(OBu)₄). Metalorganic titanium precursors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,062,390, issued to Blomberg, and incorporated by reference herein.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the metalorganic precursor may comprise, a metalorganic bismuth precursor, i.e., a metalorganic precursor comprising a bismuth element. In some embodiments, the metalorganic bismuth precursor may comprise at least one of a bismuth-alkoxide or a bismuth-silyamido. In some embodiments, the metalorganic bismuth precursor may be selected from the group consisting of [(dmb)₂Bi—O—Bi(dmb)₂]₂, tris(2,3-dimethyl-2-butyxy)bismuth(III), tris(tert-butoxy)bismuth(III), and tri(isopropoxy)bismuth(III). In some embodiments, the metalorganic bismuth precursor may comprise at least of Bi(N(SiMe₃)₂)₃, Bi(thd)₃, Bi(O^(t)Bu)₃, Bi(dmb)₃, or Bi(CH₂SiMe₃)₃. Metalorganic bismuth precursors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,713,584, issued to Hatanpaa et al., and incorporated by reference herein.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a metalorganic precursor may comprise exposing the substrate to the metalorganic precursor for a time period of between about 0.01 seconds and about 60 seconds, between about 0.05 seconds and about 10 seconds, or between about 0.1 seconds and about 5.0 seconds. In addition, during the pulsing of the metal containing precursor, e.g., the metalorganic precursor, the flow rate of the metalorganic precursor may be less than 2000 sccm, or less than 500 sccm, or less than 100 sccm, or less than 50 sccm, or less than 10 sccm, or less than 1 sccm, or even less than 0.1 sccm. In addition, during the pulsing of the metalorganic precursor over the substrate the flow rate of the metalorganic precursor may from about 0.05 to 2000 sccm, from about 0.1 to 1000 sccm, or from about 1 to about 500 sccm.

Excess metalorganic precursor and reaction byproducts (if any) may be removed from the surface, e.g., by pumping with an inert gas. For example, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the methods may comprise a purge cycle wherein the substrate surface is purged for a time period of less than approximately 2.0 seconds. Excess metalorganic precursor and any reaction byproducts may be removed with the aid of a vacuum, generated by a pumping system, in fluid communication with the reaction chamber.

In a second phase of the deposition cycle (“the ruthenium tetroxide phase”) the substrate may contacted with a second vapor phase reactant comprising ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄). In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ruthenium component of the ruthenium tetroxide may have an oxidation state of +VIII, or at least +VII. In some embodiments, the ruthenium component of the ruthenium tetroxide may have an oxidation state of at least +III, or greater than 0.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) may be dissolved in a solvent, such as, for example, an inert organic solvent, or a fluorocarbon solvent such as an ethyl-methyl-fluorinated solvent mixture. In some embodiment, the concentration (% w/w) of the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) in the solvent may be greater than 0.01%, or greater than 0.1%, or greater than 0.5%, or greater than 1.0%, or even greater than 1.5%. In some embodiments, the concentration (% w/w) of the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) in the solvent may be less than 100%, or less 50%, or less than 20%, or less than 10%, or less than 5%, or less than 2%, or even less than 1%. Ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) precursors and their uses are described in U.S. Patent App. 2010/0212021712, and incorporated by reference herein.

In some embodiments, exposing the substrate to ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) may comprise pulsing the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) precursor over the substrate for a time period of between 0.1 seconds and 2.0 seconds, or from about 0.01 seconds to about 10 seconds, or less than about 20 seconds, less than about 10 seconds or less than about 5 seconds. During the pulsing of the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) precursor over the substrate the flow rate of the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) may be less than 50 sccm, or less than 25 sccm, or less than 15 sccm, or even less than 10 sccm. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) may be dissolved into a suitable solvent and the flow rate of the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) dissolved in the solvent may be between 0.00001 sccm and 2000 sccm, or between 0.001 sccm and 100 sccm, or between 0.1 sccm and 20 sccm.

The second vapor phase reactant comprising ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) may react with the metal-containing molecules left on the substrate. In some embodiments, the second phase precursor may comprise ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) and the reaction may deposit a ruthenium-platinum alloy, a ruthenium-palladium alloy, or a ternary ruthenium oxide. f

Excess second vapor phase reactant (e.g., ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄)) and reaction byproducts, if any, may be removed from the substrate surface, for example, by a purging gas pulse and/or vacuum generated by a pumping system. Purging gas is preferably any inert gas, such as, without limitation, argon (Ar), nitrogen (N₂), or helium (He). A phase is generally considered to immediately follow another phase if a purge (i.e., purging gas pulse) or other reactant removal step intervenes.

The deposition cycle in which the substrate is alternatively contacted with the first vapor phase reactant (i.e., the metalorganic precursor) and the second vapor phase reactant (i.e., ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄)) may be repeated two or more times until a desired thickness of a ruthenium-containing film is deposited. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments of the disclosure, the order of the contacting of the substrate with the first vapor phase reactant and the second vapor phase reactant may be such that the substrate is first contacted with the second vapor phase reactant followed by the first vapor phase reactant. In addition, in some embodiments, the cyclical deposition process may comprise contacting the substrate with the first vapor phase reactant (i.e. the metalorganic precursor) one or more times prior to contacting the substrate with the second vapor phase reactant (i.e., ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄)) one or more times and similarly may alternatively comprise contacting the substrate with the second vapor phase reactant one or more times prior to contacting the substrate with the first vapor phase reactant one or more times. In addition, some embodiments of the disclosure may comprise non-plasma reactants, e.g., the first and second vapor phase reactants are substantially free of ionized reactive species. In some embodiments, the first and second vapor phase reactants are substantially free of ionized reactive species, excited species or radical species. For example, both the first vapor phase reactant and the second vapor phase reactant may comprise non-plasma reactants to prevent ionization damage to the underlying substrate and the associated defects thereby created.

The cyclical deposition processes described herein, utilizing a metalorganic precursor and ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) to deposit at least one of a ruthenium-platinum alloy, a ruthenium-palladium alloy, or a ternary ruthenium oxide, may be performed in an ALD or CVD deposition system with a heated substrate. For example, in some embodiments, methods may comprise heating the substrate to temperature of between approximately 80° C. and approximately 150° C., or even heating the substrate to a temperature of between approximately 80° C. and approximately 120° C. Of course, the appropriate temperature window for any given cyclical deposition process, such as, for an ALD reaction, will depend upon the surface termination and reactant species involved. Here, the temperature varies depending on the precursors being used and is generally at or below about 700° C. In some embodiments, the deposition temperature is generally at or above about 100° C. for vapor deposition processes, in some embodiments the deposition temperature is between about 100° C. and about 250° C., and in some embodiments the deposition temperature is between about 120° C. and about 200° C. In some embodiments the deposition temperature is below about 500° C., below about 400° C. or below about 300° C. In some instances the deposition temperature can be below about 200° C., below about 150° C. or below about 100° C. In some instances the deposition temperature can be above about 20° C., above about 50° C. and above about 75° C. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the deposition temperature i.e., the temperature of the substrate during deposition is approximately 150° C.

In some embodiments the growth rate of the ruthenium-containing film is from about 0.005 Å/cycle to about 5 Å/cycle, from about 0.01 Å/cycle to about 2.0 Å/cycle. In some embodiments the growth rate of the ruthenium-containing film is more than about 0.05 Å/cycle, more than about 0.1 Å/cycle, more than about 0.15 Å/cycle, more than about 0.20 Å/cycle, more than about 0.25 Å/cycle or more than about 0.3 Å/cycle. In some embodiments the growth rate of the ruthenium-containing film is less than about 2.0 Å/cycle, less than about 1.0 Å/cycle, less than about 0.75 Å/cycle, less than about 0.5 Å/cycle, or less than about 0.2 Å/cycle. In some embodiments, the growth rate of the ruthenium-containing film may be between 0.01 Å/cycle and 100 Å/cycle. In some embodiments, the growth rate of ruthenium-containing film may be between 0.01 Å/cycle and 10 Å/cycle, or between 0.05 Å/cycle and 5 Å/cycle, or between 0.1 Å/cycle and 1 Å/cycle. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the growth rate of the ruthenium-containing film is approximately 10 Å/cycle.

The embodiments of the disclosure may comprise a cyclical deposition which may be illustrated in more detail by exemplary method 100 of FIG. 1 . The method 100 may begin with process block 110 which comprises, providing at least one substrate into a reaction chamber and heating the substrate to the deposition temperature, for example, the substrate may comprise a bulk silicon substrate, the reaction chamber may comprise an atomic layer deposition reaction chamber and the substrate may be heated to a deposition of approximately 150° C. The method 100 may continue with process block 120 which comprises, contacting the substrate with a metal containing vapor phase reactant, for example, the substrate may be contacted with a metalorganic precursor for a time period of approximately 1 second. Upon contacting the substrate with the metalorganic precursor, excess metalorganic precursor and any reaction byproducts may be removed from the reaction chamber by a purge/pump process. The method 100 may continue with process block 130 which comprises, contacting the substrate with ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) for a time period of approximately 4 seconds. Upon contacting the substrate with the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) precursor, the excess RuO₄ precursor and any reaction byproducts may be removed from the reaction chamber by a purge/pump process.

The method wherein the substrate is alternatively and sequentially contacted with the metalorganic precursor and contacted with the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO4) precursor may constitute one deposition cycle. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the method of depositing a ruthenium-containing film may comprise repeating the deposition cycle one or more times. For example, the method 100 may continue with decision gate 140 which determines if the method 100 continues or exits. The decision gate of process block 140 is determined based on the thickness of the ruthenium-containing film deposited, for example, if the thickness of the metal containing film is insufficient for the desired device structure, then the method 100 may return to process block 120 and the processes of contacting the substrate with the metalorganic precursor and contacting the substrate with the ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) precursor may be repeated one or more times. Once the ruthenium-containing film has been deposited to a desired thickness the method may exit 150 and the ruthenium-containing film may be subjected to additional processes to form a device structure.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the method 100 may comprise additional processing steps which may be utilized to control the ruthenium content, i.e., the atomic percentage at-% of ruthenium, in the ruthenium-containing film deposited by the embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, a first additional processing step may be performed after contacting the substrate with the metalorganic precursor and prior to contacting the substrate with the ruthenium tetroxide. In some embodiments, the first additional processing step may comprise, contacting the substrate with an oxygen containing plasma, such as, for example, a plasma produced by the excitation of molecular oxygen (O₂). In some embodiments of the disclosure, the exposure of the substrate to an oxygen containing plasma may decrease the ruthenium content in a ruthenium-containing layer deposited by the methods of the current disclosure. In some embodiments, a second additional processing step may be performed after contacting the substrate with the metalorganic precursor and prior to contacting the substrate with the ruthenium tetroxide. In some embodiments, the second additional processing step may comprise, contacting the substrate with an additional organic precursor, such as, for example, an alcohol, an aldehyde, or a carboxylic acid.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the additional organic precursor may comprise an alcohol, wherein alcohols may be primary alcohols, secondary alcohols, tertiary alcohols, polyhydroxy alcohols, cyclic alcohols aromatic alcohols, and other derivatives of alcohols.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the additional organic precursor may comprise at least one aldehyde group (—CHO) selected from the group consisting of compounds having the general formula (I), alkanedial compounds having the general formula (II), halogenated aldehydes and other derivatives of aldehydes.

Thus, in some embodiments the additional organic precursor may comprise an aldehyde having the general formula R3—CHO   (I)

wherein R3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl and alkenyl groups, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl or hexyl. In some embodiments, R3 is selected from the group consisting of methyl or ethyl. Exemplary compounds, but not limited to, according to formula (I) are formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and butyraldehyde.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the additional organic precursor may comprise an aldehyde having the general formula (II): OHC—R4—CHO   (II)

wherein R4 is a linear or branched C1-C20 saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon. Alternatively, the aldehyde groups may be direct bonded to each other (R4 is null).

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the additional organic precursor may comprise at least one —COOH group and can be selected from the group consisting of compounds of the general formula (III), polycarboxylic acids, halogenated carboxylic acids, and other derivatives of carboxylic acids. Thus, in some embodiments, the additional organic precursor may comprise carboxylic acids having the general formula (III) R5—COOH   (III)

wherein R5 is hydrogen or linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl or alkenyl group, such as, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, or hexyl, for example methyl or ethyl. In some embodiments, R5 is a linear or branched C1-C3 alkyl or alkenyl group. Examples of compounds according to the formula (III) are formic acid, propanoic acid, and acetic acid.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the exposure of the substrate to an additional organic precursor may increase the ruthenium content in the ruthenium-containing layer relative to the metal supplied by the metalorganic in the films deposited.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, and particularly for embodiments wherein the deposition methods disclosed are utilized to deposition a ternary ruthenium oxide, the substrate may undergo a surface pretreatment prior to the deposition process. In some embodiments, the surface of the substrate may pretreated with an alcohol to increase the amount of carbon on the surface of the substrate. For example, the substrate may be pretreated with an alcohol selected from the group consisting of C1-C10 alcohols, C2-C10 diols, and C3-C10 triols. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the surface of substrate may pretreated with at least one of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, or other organic molecules containing C_(x)—H_(y) groups which may chemisorb on the surface of the substrate.

In some embodiments of the disclosure the methods of the disclosure may be utilized to deposition ruthenium-containing films, such as, for example, pure ruthenium, on a suitable substrate. In some embodiments, the nucleation of the ruthenium-containing film on the substrate may be delayed, i.e., there is an incubation period, wherein no deposition occurs. For example for ruthenium deposition on silicon oxide surfaces there may be an incubation period of more than 100 deposition cycles prior to depositing the film. To improve the incubation period and allow for faster nucleation of the ruthenium-containing film, the substrate may be treated prior to deposition. Therefore, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the substrate surface may be treated with an organic molecule to decrease incubation time and increase the nucleation of the ruthenium-containing film. In some embodiments the organic molecule may comprise an alcohol, or a metalorganic, such as, for example, trimethyl aluminum (TMA). For example, the substrate surface may comprise a silicon oxide surface and the silicon oxide surface may be exposed to trimethyl aluminum (TMA) prior to contacting the substrate with the ruthenium precursor. Such a pretreatment on the silicon oxide surface with the trimethyl aluminum (TMA) may greatly reduce the incubation time and allow for rapid nucleation of the ruthenium-containing films, such as, for example, pure ruthenium via a ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) and hydrogen (H₂) deposition process.

Thin films comprising a ruthenium-containing film, such as, for example, a ruthenium-platinum alloy, a ruthenium-palladium alloy, or a ternary ruthenium oxide, deposited according to some of the embodiments described herein may be continuous thin films. In some embodiments the thin films comprising a ruthenium-containing film deposited according to some of the embodiments described herein may be continuous at a thickness below about 100 nm, below about 60 nm, below about 50 nm, below about 40 nm, below about 30 nm, below about 25 nm, or below about 20 nm or below about 15 nm or below about 10 nm or below about 5 nm or lower. The continuity referred to herein can be physically continuity or electrical continuity. In some embodiments the thickness at which a film may be physically continuous may not be the same as the thickness at which a film is electrically continuous, and the thickness at which a film may be electrically continuous may not be the same as the thickness at which a film is physically continuous.

In some embodiments, a ruthenium-containing film deposited according to some of the embodiments described herein may have a thickness from about 20 nm to about 100 nm. In some embodiments, a ruthenium-containing film deposited according to some of the embodiments described herein may have a thickness from about 20 nm to about 60 nm.

In some embodiments, a ruthenium-containing film deposited according to some of the embodiments described herein may have a thickness greater than about 20 nm, greater than about 30 nm, greater than about 40 nm, greater than about 50 nm, greater than about 60 nm, greater than about 100 nm, greater than about 250 nm, greater than about 500 nm, or greater. In some embodiments a ruthenium-containing film deposited according to some of the embodiments described herein may have a thickness of less than about 50 nm, less than about 30 nm, less than about 20 nm, less than about 15 nm, less than about 10 nm, less than about 5 nm, less than about 3 nm, less than about 2 nm, or even less than about 1 nm.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ruthenium-containing film may be deposited on a three-dimensional structure including high aspect ratio features. In some embodiments, the step coverage of the ruthenium-containing film may be equal to or greater than about 50%, greater than about 80%, greater than about 90%, about 95%, about 98%, or about 99% or greater in structures having aspect ratios (height/width) of more than about 2, more than about 5, more than about 10, more than about 25, more than about 50, or even more than about 100.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the metalorganic precursor may comprise a metalorganic platinum precursor and the ruthenium-containing film deposited by the methods of the disclosure may comprise a ruthenium-platinum alloy. In some embodiments, the ruthenium-platinum alloy may comprise a platinum content of greater than 5 atomic %, or greater than 10 atomic %, or greater than 15 atomic %, or greater than 25 atomic %, or greater than 50 atomic %, or greater than 75 atomic %, or even greater than 90 atomic %. In some embodiments, the ruthenium-platinum alloy may comprise a platinum content of approximately 15 atomic %.

In additional embodiments, the ruthenium-platinum alloy may comprise less than about 20 atomic % oxygen, less than about 10 atomic % oxygen, less than about 5 atomic % oxygen, or even less than about 2 atomic % oxygen. In further embodiments, the ruthenium-platinum alloy may comprise less than about 10 atomic % hydrogen, or less than about 5 atomic % of hydrogen, or less than about 2 atomic % of hydrogen, or even less than about 1 atomic % of hydrogen. In yet further embodiments, the ruthenium-platinum alloy may comprise less than about 10 atomic % carbon, or less than about 5 atomic % carbon, or less than about 2 atomic % carbon, or less than about 1 atomic % of carbon, or even less than about 0.5 atomic % carbon. In the embodiments outlined herein, the atomic concentration of an element may be determined utilizing Rutherford backscattering (RBS).

The ruthenium-platinum alloys deposited by the cyclical deposition processes disclosed herein may be utilized in variety of contexts, such as, for example, as an anode catalyst for fuel cell applications and as a work function metal for semiconductor transistor applications.

In more detail, the ruthenium-platinum alloy deposited by the methods of the disclosure may be utilized as an electrode, such as, an anode catalyst in a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). DMFCs are widely known membrane electrochemical generators in which oxidation of an aqueous methanol solution occurs at the anode. DMFCs are very attractive in comparison to other types of low temperature fuel cells, as they make use of a liquid fuel, which gives a great advantage in terms of energy density and is much easier and quicker to load or refill. Much research has center on improving the anode catalyst and platinum and ruthenium alloys are largely preferred in terms of catalytic activity. However, platinum and ruthenium are very difficult to combine into true alloys utilizing conventional formation methods; therefore the disclosure provides methods for the formation of high quality ruthenium-platinum alloys. For example, in some embodiments of the disclosure, a ruthenium-platinum alloy may be deposited onto an inert support, such as, for example, a carbon support, to form a catalytic anode for use in a fuel cell device.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ruthenium-platinum alloy deposited by the methods disclosure herein may be utilized as a work function metal in a transistor structure, such as, for example, a planar transistor structure or a multiple gate transistor, such as a FinFET. In more detail, and with reference to FIG. 2 , a semiconductor device structure 200 may comprise a semiconductor body 216 and a gate electrode 210 comprising a ruthenium-platinum alloy disposed over the semiconductor body 216. In some embodiments, the semiconductor device structure 200 may comprise a transistor structure and may also include a source region 202, a drain region 204, and a channel region 206 there between. A transistor gate structure 208 may comprise an electrode 210, i.e., a gate electrode, which may be separated from the channel region 206 by a gate dielectric 212. According to the present disclosure, the gate electrode 210 may comprise a ruthenium-platinum alloy, deposited by the cyclical deposition methods described herein. As shown in FIG. 2 , in some embodiments the transistor gate structure 208 may further comprise one or more additional conductive layers 214 formed on the gate electrode 210. The one or more additional conductive layers 214 may comprise at least one of a polysilicon, a refractory metal, a transition metal carbide, and a transition metal nitride.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the metalorganic precursor may comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, titanium, bismuth, zinc, and combinations thereof, and the methods of the disclosure may comprise depositing a ternary ruthenium oxide. For example, the cyclical deposition methods disclosed herein may be utilized for the deposition of a ternary ruthenium oxide of the general formula M_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z), where M is a metal selected from the group of aluminum, titanium, bismuth, zinc, and combination thereof, Ru is ruthenium, and O is oxygen. Therefore, the embodiments of the disclosure may be utilized to deposit at least one of aluminum ruthenium oxide (Al_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)), titanium ruthenium oxide (Ti_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)), bismuth ruthenium oxide (Bi_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)), and zinc ruthenium oxide (Zn_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)).

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ternary ruthenium oxide (M_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)) may comprise a metal content, i.e., atomic % of M, which is greater than 1 atomic %, or greater than 10 atomic %, or greater than 15 atomic % or even greater than 20 atomic %. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ternary ruthenium oxide (M_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)) may comprise a ruthenium content, i.e., atomic % of Ru, which is greater than 1 atomic %, or greater than 10 atomic %, or greater than 15 atomic % or even greater than 20 atomic %. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ternary ruthenium oxide (M_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)) may comprise an oxygen content, i.e., atomic % of O, which is greater than 20 atomic % or greater than 40 atomic %, or greater than 60 atomic %, or even greater than 65 atomic %.

In additional embodiments, the ternary ruthenium oxide may comprise less than about 5 atomic % of hydrogen, or less than about 2 atomic % of hydrogen, or even less than about 1 atomic % of hydrogen. In yet further embodiments, the ternary ruthenium oxide may comprise less than about 10 atomic % carbon, or less than about 5 atomic % carbon, or less than about 2 atomic % carbon, or less than about 1 atomic % of carbon, or even less than about 0.5 atomic % carbon. In the embodiments outlined herein, the atomic concentration of an element may be determined utilizing Rutherford backscattering (RBS).

The ternary ruthenium oxides (M_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)) deposited by the cyclical deposition processes disclosed herein may be utilized in variety of contexts, such as, for example, in fuel cell applications. For example, titanium ruthenium oxide (Ti_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)) may be utilized as a stable catalyst support for hydrogen fuel cell application, wherein the titanium ruthenium oxide replaces the commonly used carbon support and platinum nanoparticles are deposited on the support as the catalyst material. In addition, bismuth ruthenium oxide (Bi_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)) may be utilized as a suitable electrode material in solid oxide fuel cells.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the first vapor phase reactant comprising a metalorganic precursor may further comprise a metal selected from the group of lithium, calcium, barium, cobalt, lead, and combinations thereof In some embodiments the metalorganic precursor may comprise a lithium metal and the film deposited may comprise a lithium ruthenium oxide. For example, a lithium ruthenium oxide may be utilized as an electrode material in lithium ion battery applications. In some embodiments the metalorganic precursor may comprise a calcium metal and the film deposited may comprise a calcium ruthenium oxide. For example, a calcium ruthenium oxide may be utilized in electrochemistry applications as an oxygen evolution anode. In some embodiments the metalorganic precursor may comprise a barium metal and the film deposited may comprise a barium ruthenium oxide. For example, a barium ruthenium oxide may be utilized in a heterogeneous catalyst structure. In some embodiments the metalorganic precursor may comprise a cobalt metal and the film deposited may comprise a cobalt ruthenium oxide. For example, a cobalt ruthenium oxide may be utilized in a thermistor device structure. In some embodiments the metalorganic precursor may comprise a lead metal and the film deposited may comprise a lead ruthenium oxide. For example, a lead ruthenium oxide may be utilized in a number of applications, including, but not limited to, electrodes for lithium-based batteries, cathode materials in solid oxide fuel cells, and for the selective oxidation of alcohols.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the ruthenium-containing films deposited by the processes disclosed herein, may be utilized as heterogeneous catalysts and the ruthenium-containing films may comprise at least a portion of a heterogeneous catalytic structure. For example, the ruthenium-containing films may be deposited over a suitable substrate, such as a catalyst support. In some embodiments, the catalyst support may comprise a high surface area support upon which the ruthenium-containing film is deposited. For example, the catalyst support may comprise carbon, alumina and silica, and to increase the surface area of the catalyst support, and hence the activity of the heterogeneous catalyst, the catalyst support may comprise a powder. The heterogeneous catalytic structures comprising ruthenium-containing films deposited according to the embodiments of the disclosure may be utilized to enhance a number of chemical processes, such as, for example, gas phase oxidation, selective hydrogenation, and fuel cell power applications.

Embodiments of the disclosure may also include a reaction system configured for forming the ruthenium-containing films of the present disclosure. In more detail, FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a reaction system 300 including a reaction chamber 302 that further includes mechanism for retaining a substrate (not shown) under predetermined pressure, temperature, and ambient conditions, and for selectively exposing the substrate to various gases.

A precursor reactant source 304 may be coupled by conduits or other appropriate means 304A to the reaction chamber 302, and may further couple to a manifold, valve control system, mass flow control system, or mechanism to control a gaseous precursor originating from the precursor reactant source 304. A precursor (not shown) supplied by the precursor reactant source 304, the reactant (not shown), may be liquid or solid under room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure conditions. Such a precursor may be vaporized within a reactant source vacuum vessel, which may be maintained at or above a vaporizing temperature within a precursor source chamber. In such embodiments, the vaporized precursor may be transported with a carrier gas (e.g., an inactive or inert gas) and then fed into the reaction chamber 302 through conduit 304A. In other embodiments, the precursor may be a vapor under standard conditions. In such embodiments, the precursor does not need to be vaporized and may not require a carrier gas. For example, in one embodiment the precursor may be stored in a gas cylinder. The reaction system 300 may also include additional precursor reactant sources, such precursor reactant source 306 which may also be couple to the reaction chamber by conduits 306A as described above.

A purge gas source 308 may also be coupled to the reaction chamber 302 via conduits 308A, and selectively supplies various inert or noble gases to the reaction chamber 302 to assist with the removal of precursor gas or waste gases from the reaction chamber. The various inert or noble gases that may be supplied may originate from a solid, liquid or stored gaseous form.

The reaction system 300 of FIG. 3 , may also comprise a system operation and control mechanism 310 that provides electronic circuitry and mechanical components to selectively operate valves, manifolds, pumps and other equipment included in the reaction system 300. Such circuitry and components operate to introduce precursors, purge gases from the respective precursor sources 304, 306 and purge gas source 308. The system operation and control mechanism 310 also controls timing of gas pulse sequences, temperature of the substrate and reaction chamber, and pressure of the reaction chamber and various other operations necessary to provide proper operation of the reaction system 300. The operation and control mechanism 310 can include control software and electrically or pneumatically controlled valves to control flow of precursors, reactants and purge gases into and out of the reaction chamber 302. The control system can include modules such as a software or hardware component, e.g., a FPGA or ASIC, which performs certain tasks. A module can advantageously be configured to reside on the addressable storage medium of the control system and be configured to execute one or more processes.

Those of skill in the relevant arts appreciate that other configurations of the present reaction system are possible, including different number and kind of precursor reactant sources and purge gas sources. Further, such persons will also appreciate that there are many arrangements of valves, conduits, precursor sources, purge gas sources that may be used to accomplish the goal of selectively feeding gasses into reaction chamber 302. Further, as a schematic representation of a reaction system, many components have been omitted for simplicity of illustration, and such components may include, for example, various valves, manifolds, purifiers, heaters, containers, vents, and/or bypasses.

The example embodiments of the disclosure described above do not limit the scope of the invention, since these embodiments are merely examples of the embodiments of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Any equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this invention. Indeed, various modifications of the disclosure, in addition to those shown and described herein, such as alternative useful combination of the elements described, may become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Such modifications and embodiments are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of depositing a ruthenium-containing film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition process, the method comprising: contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a metalorganic precursor, the metalorganic precursor comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, aluminum, titanium, bismuth, zinc, and combinations thereof, contacting the substrate with a fourth vapor phase reactant comprising an additional organic precursor after contacting the substrate with the first vapor phase reactant, contacting the substrate with an oxygen containing plasma after contacting the substrate with the first vapor phase reactant, and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising ruthenium tetroxide after contacting the substrate with an oxygen containing plasma, wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises at least one of a ruthenium-platinum alloy, a ruthenium-palladium alloy, or a ternary ruthenium oxide.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional organic precursor comprises an aldehyde having a general formula OHC—R4 CHO wherein R4 is a linear or branched C1-C20 saturated or unsaturated.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cyclical deposition process comprises a cyclical chemical vapor deposition process.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises at least one deposition cycle in which the substrate is alternatively and sequentially contacted with the first vapor phase reactant and the second vapor phase reactant.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional organic precursor comprises a carboxylic acid having a general formula R5—COOH, wherein R5 is hydrogen or linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl or alkenyl group.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metalorganic precursor comprises a metalorganic platinum precursor selected from the group consisting of (trimethyl)methylcyclopentadienyl platinum, (trimethyl)cyclopentadienyl (C5H5)Pt(CH3)3, Pt(acetylacetonate)2, Pt(PF3)4, Pt(CO)2C12, cis-[Pt(CH3)2((CH3)NC)2], and platinum hexafluoroacetylacetonate.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises a ruthenium-platinum alloy.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the metalorganic precursor comprises a metalorganic palladium precursor selected from the group consisting of Pd(thd)₂ and Pd(hfac)₂.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises a ruthenium-palladium alloy.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the metalorganic precursor comprises a metalorganic titanium precursor selected from the group consisting of tetrakis(dimethylamido) titanium (TMDAT), pentamethylcyclopentadienyltrimethoxy titanium (CpMe₅Ti(OMe)₃), titanium methoxide (Ti(OMe)₄), titanium ethoxide (Ti(OEt)₄), titanium isopropoxide (Ti(OPr)₄), or titanium butoxide (Ti(OBu)₄).
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises a ruthenium titanium oxide (Ru_(x)Ti_(y)O_(z)).
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the metalorganic precursor comprises a metalorganic bismuth precursor selected from the group consisting of [(dmb)₂Bi—O—Bi(dmb)₂]₂, tris(2,3-dimethyl-2-butyxy) bismuth(III), tris(tert-butoxy) bismuth(III), tri(isopropoxy) bismuth(III), Bi(N(SiMe₃)₂)₃, Bi(thd)₃, Bi(O^(t)Bu)₃, Bi(dmb)₃, and Bi(CH₂SiMe₃)₃.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises a bismuth ruthenium oxide (Bi_(x)Ru_(y)O_(z)).
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the metalorganic precursor comprises a metalorganic aluminum precursor selected from the group consisting of trimethylaluminum (TMA), trimethylaluminum (TEA), dimethylaluminum chloride (AlMe₂Cl), dimethylaluminum isopropoxide (AlMe₂OPr), or aluminum ethoxide (AlOEt)₃.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises an aluminum ruthenium oxide (Al_(x)Ru_(y)O_(x)).
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the metalorganic precursor comprises a metalorganic zinc precursor selected from the group consisting of dimethylzinc (ZnMe₂), diethylzinc (ZnEt₂), methylzinc isopropoxide (ZnMe(OPr)), or zinc acetate (Zn(CH₃CO₂)₂).
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the ruthenium containing film comprises a zinc ruthenium oxide (Zn_(x)Ru_(y)O_(x)).
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the metalorganic precursor comprises a metalorganic precursor selected from the group consisting of pentamethylcyclopentadienyltrimethoxy titanium (CpMe₅Ti(OMe)₃), titanium methoxide (Ti(OMe)₄), titanium ethoxide (Ti(OEt)₄), titanium butoxide (Ti(OBu)₄), Bi(N(SiMe₃)₂)₃, Bi(thd)₃, Bi(O^(t)Bu)₃, or Bi(CH₂SiMe₃)₃.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional organic precursor comprises an aldehyde having a general formula R3—CHO, wherein R3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, and linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl and alkenyl groups.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the additional organic precursor comprises at least one of an alcohol, an aldehyde, or a carboxylic acid.
 21. The method of claim 1, further comprising heating the substrate to a temperature between about 120° C. and and 200° C.
 22. The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting the surface of the substrate with an alcohol prior to the cyclical deposition process.
 23. A semiconductor structure including a ruthenium-containing film deposited by the method of claim
 1. 24. The semiconductor structure of claim 23, wherein the ruthenium-containing film comprises at least a portion of an electrode.
 25. A reaction system configured to perform the method of claim
 1. 26. A heterogeneous catalyst structure comprising a ruthenium-containing film deposited by the method of claim
 1. 27. A method of depositing a ternary ruthenium oxide film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition process, the method comprising: contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a metalorganic precursor, the metalorganic precursor comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of lithium, calcium, lead, and combinations thereof; and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising ruthenium tetroxide, wherein the ternary ruthenium oxide comprises at least one of a lithium ruthenium oxide, a calcium ruthenium oxide, or a lead ruthenium oxide. 